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Feb 14 2023

THE MISSING SLEEVE NOTES: SPARKS LANE

Dare has decided to write sleeve notes for the Noctorum albums, reminisces of the how, why, when, and where of the four albums we made together under the Noctorum moniker. You can find the story of the first album Sparks Lane on the Noctorum website, see link below. Having known each other since when we were kids it was about time that Dare and I had a band together. He had worked on most of my solo projects and the ex-band’s Sometime Anywhere (1994). We figure we might have known each other for nearly sixty years and that’s because our parents knew each other through work. We never went to the same primary school or secondary modern (or grammar school in Dare’s case) but the music connection kept us together as it often does. Check out Sparks Lane and there will be more sleeve notes coming. (By the way, there is no apostrophe in ‘Sparks’.)

This from Dare:

“In 2022 I received a test pressing of our first album, Sparks Lane, first released in 2002. It was due to come out on vinyl and my job was to check that the pressing was up to scratch. As I was listening through, it brought back fond memories of the time Marty and I spent recording those songs. That’s when the idea came to me – perhaps people would be interested in hearing the story of how we recorded these albums? After all, back in the old days, every LP would have sleeve notes on the back cover and part of the pleasure of listening to a new record would be to read them. I suppose they became outdated and unfashionable when pop and rock arrived in the 60s.

So now is your chance to sit back, relax and listen again while you read the sleeve notes. We hope it will give you a deeper insight into the world of Marty and myself as the entity known as Noctorum – how we wrote the songs, our recording methods and along the way, I will introduce you to the supporting cast of friends, musicians, artists, technicians and business people that helped us to realise our musical ambitions.”

Read the Missing Sleeve Notes: SPARKS LANE here

Noctorum - Sparks Lane (2003)
Sparks Lane (2003)

Written by Marty Willson-Piper · Categorized: News

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there's any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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You usually don’t spend the day in the studio an You usually don’t spend the day in the studio and the night at a gig but if you put the studio next to the gig then there’s a greater chance. So @salimnourallah did just that, he put the gig and the studio next to each other and made it possible for me to spend the day recording and the evening playing live 🎵

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TO WHERE I AM NOW A visit in the studio today fro TO WHERE I AM NOW

A visit in the studio today from old mate Mark Burgess from The Chameleons who has been hanging in Texas recently. I was thinking about the two of us growing up in the northwest of England and all these years later finding ourselves in such an unlikely spot together. We fixed a few issues in the universe and I carried on recording some guitars until Mark had to leave. Mark had played at the Galactic Headquarters next to the studio this year as Olivia and I had four years ago and this reminded me to remind myself to remind everyone to remind their friends that we will be playing there with Salim on Saturday, New Year’s Eve, for the ultimate in intimate performance. You can get tickets here (follow link below).

CONTINUE READING: https://martywillson-piper.com/2022/12/to-where-i-am-now-1045

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TO WHERE I AM NOW Sadness manifested in a buildin TO WHERE I AM NOW

Sadness manifested in a building, today we went to visit Paisley Park. Prince built Paisley Park in Chanhassen, about twenty minutes southwest of Minneapolis. It opened in 1987 and he recorded his later albums there. Apart from Prince, REM also recorded and mixed Out Of Time there, recording Kate Pearson’s vocal on Shiny Happy People vocal. Madonna had Prince play guitar on three songs from Like A Prayer and the two co-wrote Love Song, finishing it remotely due to Madonna not being able to stand the cold weather and the rather desolate location of the studio. Of course, there are things around but it’s not in the city and it’s not in the countryside, it’s in a suburb, no distractions, just what Prince wanted.

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"These are awesome sessions that I highly recommend for guitar players of all levels. Very informative, frank discussions on everything related to guitar and music in general. Definitely a must for anyone pursuing songwriting."
(Stephen G., VA, USA)

"Marty knows how to bypass scales and get to the heart of feel and timing. His musical knowledge spans multiple cultures and genres. Perhaps most importantly, Marty is a cool dude. I highly recommend his guitar guidance." (Jed B., MN, USA)

"Ok, so you’re sitting in your home and Marty is across the world but is actually right here teaching you how to play guitar and write songs. He is a delight to talk to and he is your teacher, meaning he wants to see you get something out of his lessons. You know he’s paying attention and wants to steer you in the right direction. I am so grateful and humbled that he offers his time in this manner. This is an amazing opportunity for anyone who admires anything from his enormous body of work. How often do you get to learn from somebody that inspired you in the first place? Amazing." (Ann S., CA, USA)

Missing

This is my stolen 1965 Rickenbacker 12-string, serial number EB157. If there’s any chance of this guitar coming back to me before I go to meet my maker, then that would be wonderful. Please contact me if you have any information.

11209512_1669022976719710_7288437867089763325_n

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